Alumni Success Stories

Jessica Wade ’11

After freelancing for NBC Olympics this past winter, recent alumna Jessica Wade ’11 has been chosen to go to the 2012 Olympics in London this summer as a production assistant (PA). While freelancing as a PA for NBC, Wade was in charge of researching athletes for profiles that will be shown at the games, transcribing interviews, preparing footage for edits--which means logging and digitizing it into the editing systems for the editors so they have footage to cut, making dubs of tapes to send to different producers, and more. How will her role change for the 2012 Olympics?

“I know that I will be working alongside some of the nation’s most prominent television producers, directors, and editors; however, I do not know my assignment, and won’t know it until I arrive in London, which is likely to be a week or less before the games begin,” says Wade. “I do know that I will be there for three weeks, and I will work seven days a week, 12 hour + shifts. I was told by my supervisor that my daily duties will be very different from what I did while I was a PA in the office, so I am excited to see what that will entail. It’s going to be an intense 3 weeks, but I’m ready for it!”

“I’m looking forward to being a part of one of the most exciting and important sporting events in the world. I grew up watching all of the Olympic games,” continues Wade. “In particular, I remember the 1996 Atlanta Games with the Magnificent 7. As a seven year old, I was greatly enamored with this group of athletes and the Olympics in general, dreaming about being a part of the games, I never knew it would become my reality. The broadcast excites and inspires viewers and that’s what I have always wanted to do-- to be behind the scenes helping to create that for viewers.”

Currently interning at Element Productions in Boston, which produces commercials for ESPN, Dunkin Donuts, Subway, and McDonalds, among others, Wade received a BA in Media, Communications & Visual Arts and minored in art. As a Pace undergraduate, she was exposed to a vast array of communications-related subjects, such as event planning and public relations. While those areas helped make her well-rounded, Wade’s studies were focused more on video production.

A commuter student, Wade was a member of Lambda Pi Eta- Communications Honor Society and Lambda Sigma. She founded a charitable greeting card business called Coloring to Cure, in which she sells handcrafted greeting cards and donates 50% of proceeds to Feeding America, and was a volunteer camp counselor at Muscular Dystrophy Association Day Camp. Wade also attended many outside workshops and camps for video production, such as Maine Media Workshops for Editing and New York Film Academy at Harvard for 3D Animation.

According to Wade, Pace exposed her to video production, gave her the opportunity to work in teams, and opened doors for her, resulting in opportunities with NBC and Rachael Ray Daytime Talk Show. Perhaps more importantly, Pace allowed Wade to develop strengths in communication and the art of production. Of studying in Madrid, Spain during her junior year, Wade notes, “That experience taught me to adjust and adapt to new and sometimes demanding situations-- fostering inspiration and creativity, while being in a great city of art, architecture and culture. I believe what I gained from studying abroad in Spain will make me continue to seek new experiences, such as 2012 London Olympics.”